India vs England: Mark Wood reveals plans for captain Rohit Sharma

England pacer Mark Wood feels he will have to be “really accurate” while bowling bouncers to Rohit Sharma during the upcoming Test series against India, that starts in Hyderabad on Thursday (25 January).

“Yeah, the conditions will be assessed once I am out there, and bumps (bouncers) are rarely bought out here. But the pitch sometimes can be two-paced and, if it is slow, it can help (bowlers) because the batters will be through with the shot,” Wood said during a press conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Also read: Rank turners will be a challenge for Indians batters too, says Venkatapathy Raju

Wood is aware of Rohit’s approach against short balls as the India captain tends to nail the pull shot very often. “Someone like Rohit, I know how good he is on the short ball. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I wouldn’t bowl a bouncer. It just means that I’ll have to be accurate with it and bowl at the right time,” added Wood.

As far as their preparations for the Test series is concerned, Wood feels England prepared “really well” by using spin-friendly pitches during their training camp in Abu Dhabi.

“I think we’ve prepped really well in Abu Dhabi. We’ve made pitches, we’ve scuffed pitches up to make them spin, we’ve put sand down to make it spin, we’ve had flat pitches to practice simple and reverse swing. So, we’ve had all the facilities available in Abu Dhabi,” said Wood.

Wood further elaborated on England’s possible approach, saying that it was important to soak up the pressure against teams like India. “I guess it’s all about soaking up that pressure when needed, maybe when the Indian batsmen are on top. We have to soak up that pressure and create a bit of a theatre or drama on the field and then when it’s time, attack again. That’s the same with bat and ball,” added the 34-year-old, who has played just one Test match against India.

England’s last Test series win on Indian soil may have come back in 2012, but Wood feels this an opportunity for the Ben Stokes-led visitors to achieve something “historic”.

“We created history in Pakistan recently, becoming the first team to win every match. So, this is another chance to do something historic and try and beat India in their own conditions,” said Wood.